champagne

Where does the word "champagne" come from? It comes from French Champagne, and was adopted directly into English (1660s).

Champagne’s story begins in French: Champagne meant “a French region name.” A historic wine-producing region in northeastern France. It reached English by 1660s as champagne. Christopher Merret described adding sugar to make wine sparkle to London's Royal Society in 1662. Today, champagne means a sparkling white wine, traditionally from the Champagne region of France.

1. Stage 1 · French · medieval Champagne "a French region name", a historic wine-producing region in northeastern France.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1660s champagne "a sparkling white wine from the Champagne region", Christopher Merret described adding sugar to make wine sparkle to London's Royal Society in 1662.